INFRASTRUCTURE INSIGHTS
Ruekert & Mielke, Inc. (R/M)
blends experience, vision and technology to
build lasting infrastructure strategies for local communities throughout Wisconsin and Illinois. 
July 25, 2017
Volume 4, Issue 14

Village of Brown Deer Urban Forestry Grant Project    

In the summer of 2016, the Village of Brown Deer contacted Ruekert & Mielke, Inc. (R/M) for assistance in developing an urban forestry project that would be strong enough to meet the application needs of the DNR's Urban Forestry Grant. Three main goals were identified.
  1. Updating the Village's tree inventory using GIS.
  2. Applying Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) treatments to their Ash tree population to combat the increased presence of EAB.
  3. Identifying the existing tree canopy coverage throughout the Village.
With these goals in mind and the potential grant funding assistance, R/M partnered with Wachtel Tree Science for their professional expertise.

R/M organized a meeting with the Village and Wachtel to draw up a plan so the two firms could divide and conquer these goals for the 2017 Urban Forestry Grant Project. Wachtel worked with the Village on handling the inventory collection of all publicly owned trees as well as conducting the EAB injections. R/M's role in the project was to write the grant application, use LiDAR imagery to calculate canopy coverage for all public and private trees within the Village limits, and implement R/M's GIS Tree inventory tools into Brown Deer's GIS web application.

After Wachtel had finished the inventory, R/M processed and incorporated the data into the Village's web-based GIS application. With the data residing in their website, the Village can track and manage their tree population from any device that has internet connection. The tree data is also backed up to Amazon's Cloud allowing for secure storage and ample amounts of storage space.

The projects need to be finished within the specified project year and Brown Deer's project, started this past spring, is nearing completion!

Please contact Kevin Korth for questions regarding this grant and processes.
Green Sustainability:
    
Why is Phosphorus Bad? - Part 1: Environmental Impact

Nutrient pollution, also referred to as eutrophication, is a widespread environmental and economic issue. Excess nutrients such as phosphorus and nitrogen exist naturally in aquatic systems, but are detrimental if concentrations become elevated for several reasons. Examples of non-point sources include storm water runoff, yard waste, pet waste, and agricultural runoff. Common point sources include industrial and municipal wastewater discharges, and septic systems.

Why Too Much is a Bad Thing:
  1. Eutrophication in aquatic systems causes algae and cyanobacteria to grow rapidly and form blooms. The decomposition of dead algal and cyanobacterial cells by bacteria depletes the supply of dissolved oxygen in the water, potentially suffocating fish and other aquatic organisms.
  2. Excessive blooms on the surface of a lake or river can block sunlight from penetrating the water, choking out beneficial submerged aquatic vegetation.
  3. Many algal and cyanobacterial blooms can produce toxins that can cause health issues in humans and animals, including stomach aches, vomiting, diarrhea, and more.
Municipalities can develop storm water management plans and ensure that municipal wastewater discharge are in compliance with regulations to mitigate these issues. For more information, visit these EPA and Wisconsin DNR articles. Also, be sure to look for the next issue-Part 2: Economic Impacts.
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